Top school asks parents to pay for textbooks

Yasmine Djadoudi

BBC Live reporter

One of the best performing schools in the country is asking parents to pay for new GCSE textbooks. The headteacher of the Skinners' School in Tunbridge Wells says he can't afford to buy the new materials that are needed.

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Video caption: Skinners' School said it cannot afford to buy the new materials neededSkinners' School said it cannot afford to buy the new materials needed

Quote Message:
This is one of the country's best performing secondaries asking for £60 for compulsory science textbooks. Its all because GCSEs have been overhauled meaning current books will be outdated and, according to the school, 'useless' for teaching. If parents decide not to contribute then the school faces a bill for £20,000 for compulsory text books.

This is one of the country's best performing secondaries asking for £60 for compulsory science textbooks. Its all because GCSEs have been overhauled meaning current books will be outdated and, according to the school, 'useless' for teaching. If parents decide not to contribute then the school faces a bill for £20,000 for compulsory text books.

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The letter comes as a result of financially difficult times in education funding. Whilst the government has re-distributed cash between schools to make it fairer, critics say all bigger class sizes and reduced school days are all on the table as all schools are facing overall cuts of 8% to their budgets

The letter comes as a result of financially difficult times in education funding. Whilst the government has re-distributed cash between schools to make it fairer, critics say all bigger class sizes and reduced school days are all on the table as all schools are facing overall cuts of 8% to their budgets

Quote Message:
There's an assumption that grammar schools, with a high proportion of middle class parents, would have healthy budgets, but selective schools, which have fewer children from disadvantaged backgrounds, are set to be on average the least well funded. The Department for Education says there are clear guidelines which state schools cannot charge for the cost of books unless the parent want their child to own them. This would be the case at Skinners...
from
Bryony Mackenzie
Education Correspondent, BBC South East Today

There's an assumption that grammar schools, with a high proportion of middle class parents, would have healthy budgets, but selective schools, which have fewer children from disadvantaged backgrounds, are set to be on average the least well funded. The Department for Education says there are clear guidelines which state schools cannot charge for the cost of books unless the parent want their child to own them. This would be the case at Skinners...

Kent Police to use spit hoods

Spit hoods are coming to Kent. They're used by police officers and put on a person's head to stop them spitting or biting the officer.

But they are very controversial and not all police forces use them.

Two years ago Kent Police's chief constable, Alan Pughsley, said he hadn't been a fan. In fact just a few months ago Kent Police had said it wasn't using them because of "the impact on the person having a spit hood placed on them and the potential issues after their use".

But now he's changed his mind saying these spit hoods would be more "humane".

Ian Pointon, chairman of the Kent Police Federation, told me it was "inhumane and cruel" for people to spit at officers and quite simply "if you don't spit then you don't get to wear the hood".